Phenol → 2-Phenoxy-2-phenyl-1-ethanol

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of phenol (28.2 g), NaOH (4.0 g) and water (15 ml) was heated on a boiling water bath until the mixture became homogeneous. Styrene oxide (12.0 g) was added dropwise over a period of 15 minutes and the mixture was heated with stirring on a boiling water bath for 1 hr. The mixture was poured into a solution of NaOH (12.0 g) in ice water (200 ml) and extracted with ether (50 ml) 2 times. The ether solution was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and the solvent distilled off to obtain a crystalline product. Recrystallization from methylene chloride-hexane gave white crystals (6.6 g) of 2-phenoxy-2-phenylethanol.

Provenance & Evidence